


Code: Date

by Aubrie1234



Series: Code: Date!verse [1]
Category: Code Lyoko, Shall We Date? (Various)
Genre: F/M, Lots & lots of characters, More main characters will be added as the story goes on, Shall We Date? characters going through the adventures of the Code Lyoko warriors, Uses most people from various Shall We Date? games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 22:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13727280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aubrie1234/pseuds/Aubrie1234
Summary: Nolan transfers to a new school, Kadic Academy, after the scandal his family had to go through. He leaves Miguel and Joy behind, but finds new friends in Kyle, Ukyo, and Haruka. Of course, then things get weird when they discover the supercomputer and meet the trapped girl inside, named Kayla. And then there's the evil XANA, who either wants to rule the world or exterminate everyone. Nolan teams up with his new friends to save Kayla and stop XANA, but as the virus gets stronger, they might need more help than just the five of them.





	Code: Date

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for the huge first chapter, but the others should be smaller than this. Anyway, I thought up this crossover before I discovered AO3 and I was head-over-heels in love with the Shall We Date series of romance games. There were so many characters from the various games and I was in a Code: Lyoko mood at the time that I created this crossover. Now, here are some notes:
> 
> 1\. Haruka Himura is the name I gave to the Ninja Shadow Girl and Kayla Walters is the name I gave to the Love Tangle Girl.
> 
> 2\. Some of these guys might be OOC, so I'm sorry about that.
> 
> 3\. These are going to mainly be based off of Code: Lyoko episodes, but not always.
> 
> 4\. The story uses characters from Ninja Shadow, Love Tangle, Lost Alice, Blood in Roses, Oz, Modern Cinderella, Destiny Ninja 2, Ninja Assassin, Ninja Love, Wizardess Heart, and Guard Me, Sherlock! I won't be adding other Shall We Date? games, but I will add any new characters.
> 
> 5\. I originally got this idea around the time Ace Spade first came out (which I think was about a year or two ago) but I've added all the new characters since then.
> 
> 6\. I'll try to make artwork for this and add links to it later so you guys can see what I imagine.
> 
> 7\. I'll expand on some of the abandoned Lyoko storylines in here, such as the Carthage storyline.
> 
> 8\. I'll be making another side-story to this that will explain who belongs to what Shall We Date? game and the powers of the warriors.
> 
> 9\. Because they're going to be in Europe, I'll be using the metric system for measurements, but for those of you who don't understand it, I'll be adding translations at the bottom of each chapter so you can understand.
> 
> Now that all that's out of the way, I hope you guys like this giant first chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. 5 kilometers = a little over 3 miles.

“Must I?” Nolan questioned irritably. His father gave him a harsh look, causing the boy to wince.

“I could have sent you to a much better school, Nolan, but I believe Kadic will suffice for now. Do _not_ make any trouble or you will hearing from me. Understood?” Nolan nodded and reached for the car door.

“And son,” this caused the boy to pause, “make a few friends.”

“I'll try.” Nolan mumbled quietly before leaving the car. He hadn't had any friends at his last school except for Miguel, and he couldn't go with Nolan to France. He had promised to try and visit when he could, though, such as on vacation.

Standing at the gates of the school, Nolan sighed. His father had only taken him here for his first day, since he was going to be off elsewhere for more work. Because of that, Nolan was to be a boarder with (luckily) no roommate and his stuff had arrived the day before. He hoped he could make it to his dorm without running into anyone or, worse, ask for help. But, unfortunately for him, it was an off day, allowing most of the students to have no classes. He endured their stares and managed to make his way to the dorms, only to be stopped by a group of three: a girl and two boys. The girl had purple hair and red eyes with clothes that reminded him of Japan or China while the boys were a little different. One looked similar to her in clothing but was taller with red hair, red eyes, and a almost invisible scar across his left cheek. The other was drastically different from the other two, wearing a suit with a gold highlights, a blue rose, and a purple bowtie, but it was much longer than a regular one. He had long, messy black hair, sea blue eyes with a tint of green (very similar to Nolan's own hair color), and tucked under his arm was a black top hat with another blue rose on it and blue feathers with black beginnings.

“Hello.” said the girl with a friendly smile, “I'm Haru and these are my friends, Kaito and Luke.” The two males nodded quietly, seeming unwilling to speak, though the taller gave a soft smile of greeting.

“I'm Nolan.” he said sharply, wanting to be polite and the conversation to end. He wasn't exactly a people person.

“Are you new? I've never seen you before.” Nolan narrowed his eyes and nodded, trying to get the point across about leaving him alone.

“If you'd like, we can help you find your room.” Kaito spoke up.

“Thank you, but I'd like to find it on my own.” Nolan stepped past them and continued on his way, but not before hearing Luke's parting words.

“Be careful with who you want to be friends with.” The boy paused but when he heard no more went back to walking.

* * *

When he found his room, he immediately unpacked and set up his computer equipment. Besides riding horses, working on the computer was his favorite past-time, much to his father's irritation.

 _My father..._ Nolan closed his eyes and frowned. It was only recently that he had found out what his father (never Dad, his father didn't like it) wanted with him, to get in the good graces of those he was working for. They had also moved because of the recent scandal with the pharmaceutical company. All of that together was making him feel awful, almost hateful of his father, and he was bitter with 'Jr.' At every chance he would ask others to just call him 'Nolan,' even if it confused him with his father. Better to be mistaken for another than to be seen as the lesser, he surmised.

Opening his eyes, he focused on the coding in front of him. Not only was he a programmer, he was also a hacker. A computer's angel and devil in one. Right now, he was checking his programs, scanning them for any viruses before he started anything up. Better to be prepared than having a suddenly buggy computer. Once the scan was done, he opened his email folder. There were two new messages, one from the school and one from Miguel. Clicking his friend's, it opened to show a message and a picture of Miguel and Joy, his only other friend at his old school (though it was more she tagged along and was Miguel's friend).

 _'Hey, how are you?'_ he asked, _'How's your school? Is it as cool as this one? Send a message back!'_ In the picture, both Miguel and Joy were giving waves and sad smiles. Perhaps Joy had thought of Nolan as a friend more than he had thought. Her look certainly didn't seem fake. Opening an email to send back, the blue-haired boy began typing.

 _'It's fair.'_ he replied, _'It's an off day, so no classes. Wish you were here. P.S., Here's my room. Luckily I don't have to share it.'_ Leaning back in his swivel chair, Nolan turned and took a photo of the room with his phone. He then hooked it up to his computer, put the picture on the hard drive, and linked it to the email. He then sent said email, hoping to hear from Miguel soon. Suddenly, there was a knock to his room's door.

“Come in.” he spoke, raising an eyebrow and unplugging his phone. He had left the door unlocked, allowing the person to enter. The person was a male, a bit taller than himself, with long red hair in a high ponytail and light blue eyes, as light as the sky. His clothing was fairly regular with a red theme, though the way they looked on him reminded Nolan of Haru's and Kaito's clothes.

“Hey.” he gave a lopsided grin, “I'm Ukyo. You Nolan?”

“Yes.” the boy stood, “What do you want?”

“The principal asked me to bring you to the office, so he can get to know you.”

“I see.” Nolan nodded, “Lead the way.”

“Pretty proper for a regular guy.” Ukyo said as the shorter joined him in the hallway.

“I'm not being proper, just mannerly.” Nolan glanced at him, “How long have you been here?”

“Since I was little. Saw you out in the courtyard earlier. New here?”

“Yes. Didn't the principal tell you?”

“Well, he's kind of a secretive guy.” Ukyo began walking backwards to get a better look at Nolan, “He's Makoto. Usually he's a pretty harsh guy, but Haru has him wrapped around her pinky finger.”

“Are they related?”

“No, but he treats her like a daughter. She can get away with just about anything, really.” At that, Ukyo frowned, “Not that talkative, are you?” Nolan's silence answered for him, “Well, no matter. Kyle and I can talk enough for the three of us.”

“Kyle?”

“My roommate.” Ukyo shook his head, “He's sly, has a love for purple, and an awful snorer, but I wouldn't trade him for the world.”

“Why? Wouldn't you like a proper roommate, one that you can get along with?”

“We get along fine, even if we do clash sometimes. What about you, aren't you going to be lonely all alone?”

“I'm used to being alone.” He was taken by surprise when Ukyo slung an arm around his shoulder, now walking forward again.

“Really?” the redhead leaned down to whisper in his ear, “I know masks, kid, and you're putting up a good one, but it won't last forever.” Ukyo then left him alone, leaning away and letting go. Nolan gave him an incredulous stare and was about to ask him why he did that when he spoke up again.

“Well, here we are!” he gestured around himself to show that they were in an office. Opposite them was an older man with brown hair and eyes who was wearing a suit reminiscent of a butler's. He gave them a nod as he worked on his computer.

“Makoto's waiting for you.” he spoke.

“Thanks, Raymond!” Ukyo grinned and knocked on the door to the side.

“Come in.” came a muffled voice. The redhead opened the door and Nolan was forced to follow. Inside, the room was mostly normal, if graced with a desk, everything on it, three chairs, and paintings. The chairs were split, two in front of the desk and one behind. A man was sitting in that chair, working on papers, and looked up when they came in. He had long, dark blue hair (darker than Nolan's) with nothing holding it back and dark blue eyes. He gave them both a calculating stare, looking at Nolan longer than Ukyo.

“Welcome, Nolan.” he stood, revealing clothes similar to Ukyo's in the sense that they were normal but with Japanese or Chinese tint. He came around the desk and held out his hand. Hesitantly, the boy took his hand and shook it. Makoto gave a smile.

“I hope you come to like this school, Nolan. Your father requested you have a single room, which is why you aren't boarding with anyone. Tomorrow classes will start up again and you'll be having many of them with Ukyo, so don't hesitate to ask him for help.” Nolan gave the redhead a glance.

“Thank you, sir. I'll keep that in mind.”

* * *

Ukyo may have been kind to him, but Nolan wasn't sure what to make of him. The guy had another side, one Nolan had only a glimpse of. Perhaps at lunch he would be able to meet with Kyle, Ukyo's roommate, and learn more about him.

Entering the lunchroom, he found himself to be quickly mistaken. He could see Ukyo eating with someone, most likely Kyle. As Ukyo had said, the guy seemed to love purple as his clothes were various shades of it, from what Nolan could see. He slid in with them, on Ukyo's side, and was once again caught in a one-armed hug.

“Hey, kid!” he smiled, “Nice of you to join us!”

“Who's he?” Kyle asked, pointing at Nolan. The purple-wearing guy had short brown hair, purple eyes, and hanging from a chest pocket was a gold chain.

“He's the new guy.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kyle held out a hand, smiling as much as his roommate, “I'm Kyle. What's your name?”

“Nolan.” he shook off Ukyo's arm as he gave a handshake to Kyle, “So, why do you like purple so much?”

“It's my favorite color. And I bet you're wondering about my chain, huh?” he grabbed the chain and pulled it out. On the end was a gold, cat's head-shaped pendant that was unusually thick. Kyle pressed into the side of it where there was a knob and it flipped open, showing a clock-face and ticking softly as the hands turned.

“It's a pocketwatch and an heirloom.” he explained as he tucked it away, “It was given to me by my grandfather and it still works. He had an affinity for Alice in Wonderland and so do I.”

“Interesting.” Nolan let a smile grace his face, the first one he had borne that day. He and Kyle then noticed Ukyo looking out the window, towards the vending machines. He had a dreamy look on his face, sighing softly.

“What's with him?” Nolan gave Kyle a questioning look.

“Haruka.” he pointed out the window to a blonde girl whose clothes were regular, had a green theme, and were (again) similar to Makoto's, Ukyo's, Haru's, and Kaito's with the exception of a greenish-black shawl. Nolan had the feeling he was beginning to see a pattern, “She's a non-boarder and lives close by. Ukyo here is head-over-heels for her.” At this, the redhead was snapped out of his dream-like state and glared at his friend.

“Not true!” he growled. It was at that moment Haruka came into the cafeteria with a cup of something she had gotten from the vending machine. Spotting them, she smiled and slid into the booth on Kyle's side. Ukyo blushed slightly while Kyle grinned, a mischievous look in his eyes.

“Hello, I'm Nolan.” he nodded to her. She nodded back and tugged the shawl closer around her body.

“Nice to meet you. I'm Haruka. Are you new?”

“He sure is!” Kyle was grinning from ear to ear and both Ukyo and Nolan had a bad feeling about it, “Since you don't board here, why don't you give him a tour of the school? He's not going to see you as much as the rest of us, after all!” Ukyo gave Kyle a nasty look that somehow went unnoticed by Haruka.

“No thank you.” Nolan shook his head, “I'd rather be by myself. I could use a map, though.”

“If you need a map, you can always ask Principal Makoto.” Haruka said, “He's a part-time artist and makes a map for students if they need one. He's also the Art teacher. Though if you want a structural map, you could ask the Architectural Engineering teacher, Mr. Moore.”

“How many teachers are here at this school?” Nolan was curious.

“Quite a few.” the girl answered, “We have all the regular classes like Chemistry, Gym, and English, but we also have many supplementary classes, like Architectural Engineering, Cooking, Flight Simulation-”

“Flight Simulation?”

“It's taught by Mr. Wright.” explained Kyle, “It's one of the only schools in the world that actually teaches you how to fly before you're old enough to do it. There's even a hangar with a plane near the soccer field for practice, but it's only for the older kids when Mr. Wright starts teaching them how to fly.” The brown-haired boy gave an uneasy look, “I took a class from him once. He's a great teacher, but until you're old enough to get qualified to fly, it's mostly learning about the mechanics of flying, how to land a plane, and so on.”

“Sounds rough.” Nolan said, “But do they have horse-riding or computer classes?”

“We have both, I think.” Ukyo talked this time, “Dr. Morgan and Dr. Salminen both teach the Veterinary classes, but Dr. Morgan also teaches Riding classes with Mr. Chrysler. And doesn't Dr. Salminen also teach Research?” the redhead gave his friends a questioning look, not quite sure.

“I think so.” Haruka slowly nodded, looking a little unsure herself.

“I'd like to take both if I can, along with Robotics if the school has it.”

“It does, and you'd need to talk to our counselors.” Kyle said, “They can get you the classes you want if there's enough room. For the first semester, though, you'll be taking regular classes. All new students have to before they can take any supplementary classes.”

“And you'll be with me and Kyle!” Ukyo put an arm around Nolan once again, much to his discomfort, “Haruka's in a year below us, though, so we won't be in the same classes together.”

“Yes, and I won't be subject to your ridiculousness!” Haruka crossed her arms and gave Ukyo a glare. He shrunk back in response. Nolan gave Kyle a look, but for the first time the purple-loving boy looked as confused as the blue-haired one felt.

* * *

As the days passed, Nolan quickly found that a lot of Japanese people went to the school and had outfits that reminded them of home, there were few non-boarders, and his three 'friends' (what else could he call them?) were very weird. He had gone to see Ukyo and Kyle in their shared dorm one afternoon and saw just how obsessed the purple-lover was with Alice in Wonderland. Their room was split down the middle, a dresser on each side with a table and chair on the opposite wall. To each side of the door were two beds and the room was painted in a magenta color, mixing the favorite colors of both boys. On the left was Ukyo while on the right was Kyle. On Ukyo's side was a poster for the Kendo World Championships while on Kyle's were white and blue teacups and saucers. Underneath each bed were drawers and in Kyle's was a thin cat, barely older than a kitten, that wore a light blue collar.

“This is Strawberry.” Kyle introduced the reddish-purple cat (which was completely against the rules of school and of nature) to him, “You promise not to tell anyone else about him?”

“Why do you have a cat?” Nolan wanted to know why 'Strawberry' was there before he answered anything. He also wanted to know why the cat was _purple_ , of all things, but didn't know how to ask.

“I couldn't leave him at home! Do you have _any_ idea what my sisters would do to him?!” Nolan gave Ukyo a helpless look, to which the redhead responded with a 'go with it' gesture. He sighed.

“Okay, I promise not to tell anyone.” The blue-haired boy was then hugged by Kyle as Strawberry curled around his feet.

“Thank you! You won't regret this!”

 _Want to bet?_ Nolan thought miserably.

“Kyle's not the only one with an animal snuck in.” Ukyo added once Kyle let Nolan go, “Spade and Sebastian both have cats themselves.”

“Who are they?” The roommates shared a look.

“Well, Spade's a loner and Sebastian...” Kyle frowned, “He's one of James' cronies. He, James, and Jack are the most troublesome group in school, so most people avoid them. But he's also a part of my club and it's not like I can kick him out just for that...”

“You run a club?”

“Yeah, the Cat Club, where we secretly bring our cats and share stories and ways to take care of them. The teachers think it's a research club on the different kinds of cats, though.” Kyle grinned, “There are a lot of clubs in school, enough to fill in the blanks of classes that aren't here. Some were even formed and run by the teachers themselves, though most these days were formed and run by students.”

“Sounds interesting. Maybe I'll ask the counselors about them later. As it is, I need to head back to my room and study. Remember, we've got that Physics test tomorrow in Dr. Oz's class.” As the door closed behind him, Nolan heard the two groan, which made him roll his eyes.

“I see you're not in bed yet, Mr. Zarek.” Nolan turned, surprised at the voice. In front of him was a blue-haired man with golden eyes and a hoodie over a suit. On the sides of the hoodie were light blue icons of wheat, the trademark of Professor Crowlie (or so Nolan had heard. He hadn't actually met the teacher until now).

“Sorry, Professor. I had just gone to talk with my friends.” That made the man smile.

“Glad to see you've made some friends very quickly. And though you've been here only two weeks, I've seen your grades and I'd like to give you a spot in my Advanced Robotics class for next semester.”

“Really?” Nolan was surprised.

“You're quite the smart young man, so I'd like to give you a chance. However, you have to pass a test to get in.” Prof. Crowlie took a paper out of his pocket and gave it to the boy, “I want you to build me a robot. This sheet will be your guidelines and what I will use to grade you, so don't lose it. The robot will be due by next semester, so you don't have to get on it right away. And it's fine if you can't build it, I can always have you in my regular Robotics class.”

“Don't worry, sir, I'll get one to you right away!” Nolan's eyes were filled with delight at the prospect and he rushed off to his room. Crowlie smiled at the boy's eagerness before going on to make sure the rest of the boys had gone to bed. It was one of his jobs as a teacher to do so and since he was well liked by the students, they didn't give him much trouble if he found that they were awake. There were also the rare times he had to do it for the girls (since there was only one woman teacher), but he didn't have to do it too often.

* * *

“Do you know any good places to get parts for robots?” Nolan asked at breakfast the next day. He was sitting with Ukyo, as Kyle hadn't gotten up yet and Haruka hadn't arrived.

“What do you mean?” Ukyo blinked at the request.

“Well, last night after I left you two, I ran into Professor Crowlie.” The redhead nodded, a knowing smile crossing onto his face.

“Let me guess, he told you to go back to your room?”

“Not exactly, but-”

“Then he must have asked you to go through his Advanced Robotics test, right?” It was Nolan's turn to blink this time.

“Erm, yes, he did. How did you-?”

“Professor Crowlie is one of the few teachers who goes out and handpicks his students for the next semester. You must be really smart to get an invitation this early.”

“I guess... But what about my question?”

“That's easy. Do you still have your map?” Nolan nodded and took out a map he had gotten from Mr. Moore. Ukyo grabbed a pencil out of his bag and began drawing on the back.

“Don't show this to the teachers, they don't know about it,” the redhead whispered, “but there's an abandoned factory in walking distance of the school. There are two ways to get to it without having to go out the school gates.” He flipped the map over, back to the front, “Hold this up to the light if you need to, since I drew directions on the back, but there's a door in the Boiler Room and a manhole in the school park, both of which lead down to the sewers. You follow the tunnel east and you'll come up onto a bridge, which is right in front of the factory. Only the people who need to pass Professor Crowlie's test or have an interest in mechanics go there, since it's full of parts.” he slid the map back to Nolan, “If you ever need help going there, just ask me or Kyle. We like to go there sometimes when we don't have classes, if just to relax.”

“Thanks, but isn't this against the rules?”

“Yeah, but most people don't get caught because we know the teachers.” Ukyo gave him a look, “As you know, this is a school where kids in grades 6 thru 12 go, living here about half the year. We know the teachers and they know us, so we know what to expect and what to do.” Nolan looked down at the map in his hands.

“Then I guess I'm going to need some help.”

“I'm up for a run if you are.” Ukyo held out his hand with a smile. Nolan wasn't sure he wanted to break the rules just to get into a class, but going against the rules always seemed fun. He shook Ukyo's hand.

“When do we leave?”

“This afternoon, in the Boiler Room. It's Friday, so we only have classes in the morning tomorrow and everyone will be expected to go to the cafeteria and back to their dorms. If we're quick and get what you need, they won't miss us.”

“Are we going to bring anyone else?”

“No. Since this is your first time, it's better to go in smaller numbers. Also, if you have a scooter or a skateboard, bring it with you.” Nolan gave Ukyo a questioning look at that, but the redhead said no more and went back to his food.

* * *

“Ready?” Ukyo was waiting as Nolan entered the Boiler Room. The younger had a pillowcase in one hand, but no mode of transport.

“Just about. I didn't have anything to ride, though, and I doubt my father will buy it for me...”

“Looks like we'll need to go on a shopping trip when we get back, then. C'mon.” Ukyo opened the red door, revealing a mostly earthbound passageway, and ran in. Nolan was forced to follow and ducked under the bar that stretched across the entrance to the sewers. Against the wall were two skateboards, one with a purple bottom and the other with a red bottom. Ukyo handed Nolan the purple one.

“This is Kyle's. You know how to skate?”

“Barely. I can't do tricks, but I know how to use it.”

“Good. Follow me!” Ukyo slid his board to the ground and began skating on it with ease. Nolan clumsily copied his example and soon they were off, heading towards the factory. A few times there were gaps that Ukyo easily tricked over, but Nolan had to jump on foot with skateboard in hand. Soon enough they came to a blocked off tunnel with a ladder going up. Ukyo put his skateboard against the wall before climbing up and Nolan did the same. When he met Ukyo at the top, he couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the factory.

“C'mon, we don't have all day!” the redhead took his wrist and lead him inside. They grabbed discarded cables and slid down to the main floor (this part was easy for Nolan, as he had gone rock-climbing and rappelling when he was younger), where Ukyo grinned and spread his arms.

“Well, go look to your heart's delight.” he said, “We need to leave in 30 minutes if we want to get back in time for dorm checks, though.”

“What about that?” Nolan pointed behind him, to an old elevator.

“Oh, this thing?” Ukyo shrugged, “No one really knows where it goes, since it doesn't work. Trust me, Kyle and I have tried.”

“Maybe you haven't tried hard enough.” Nolan stepped into the elevator and took away the backing of the buttons. To their surprise, besides the usual wires, there were 9 keys in a keypad.

“We never noticed this before, but I bet it'll start up if we type in a secret code.” Ukyo mused, “I just wonder what it is.” Nolan examined the keys.

“Should be easy. Look here.” he pointed to the keypad, “Some of them have been worn down. We presume that these are probably the ones used for the code because they've been used the most, we just need to figure out what order. There are also only three keys, indicating one of two things. The first is that it's a three digit code, the second is that one of the numbers is used more than once.”

“I think 7 might be the one used more than once. It looks more worn than the other two.” Ukyo pointed out.

“Alright then. Let's use it as first and last in a four number sequence as our first try.” Nolan typed out '7207' and to their surprise, the lift closed and began to move.

“Lucky guess.” Ukyo said.

“Either that or we've activated some sort of security measure.”

“At least we have a way out if that happens. There's a trap door up top if we need to escape.” They were quiet for the rest of the ride, wondering where it was going to take them. Soon enough they stopped and the door opened to a darkened room. Lights flickered on and two columns emitting cool gas slid up and out of the floor. They were a slightly darker shade than Makoto's hair with glowing gold highlights. One column was in the middle of the other, much skinnier and taller, rising up right under a hole in the ceiling that must have led to a room above. The fatter, shorter one was slightly shorter than Nolan (who was the smaller of the two boys) and facing them was a panel with a golden bullseye on it.

“Whoa. With this kind of tech, you could make lots and lots of robots!” Ukyo exclaimed in wonder.

“This looks more like a hard drive, though.” Nolan looked up at the ceiling, “I wonder what other floors are above this one?”

“Well, you had to punch in a code to get us down here. If that thing's not on, we just have to start it and we'll be able to explore!”

“I don't like it.” the shorter boy shook his head, “But I am curious at what this can do. I'll start it up.” he walked forward, towards the columns. He touched the golden bullseye and the panel slid back, revealing a switch. It was turned down, so Nolan took hold of it and turned it up. Instantly the lights became brighter, the gold highlights began to glow, and the columns began to emit beeping sounds.

“Ready to go have a look?” Ukyo asked, though he was becoming a bit nervous now. Nolan nodded and they went back into the elevator. This time they only needed to push the UP button to get it to go. It came up to a yellow room filled with wires and three cylinders. In front of the three was a hatch that presumably led down into the room they had just come out of while to the side were rungs leading into another room. With little interest in this room, they continued up to arrive in a large green room.

This room, though filled with wires as well, was different from the other two. There was a hole off to the side leading down to the cylinder room, but in the middle was a crater-like structure with circles around it, one in the ground and one above. The one in the ground was attached to a chair while the one above was connected to a large computer that had four screens. The computer was dead, however, while the chair in front of it faced the lift, as if it had been waiting for them.

“Amazing!” Nolan wasn't as hesitant this time, going straight to the computer to examine things. Ukyo was a bit hesitant to leave the lift, though he was just as curious. The strange technology was starting to turn off his excitement, making him a bit fearful. Sliding into the seat, Nolan turned to the computer and typed a few keys. The screens came on, the computer and chair slid to the other side of the crater, and a holographic image appeared just above the crater. It was like an orb with four lines, each line broken up in pieces and the center a glowing light. Ukyo jumped at the sight and ran to Nolan's side.

“Hey, kid, I'm not so sure we should be-” he wasn't able to finish because, right after the computer was up and running, a program appeared on the screen. It showed the face of a brown-haired girl with a pink pearl earring in her left ear, both ears being pointy. She seemed to blink awake and looked around.

“Wh...where am I?” she asked, “Who are you?”

“Amazing...” gasped Nolan again, mesmerized by the sight of the girl. Ukyo was also at a loss for words.

“Er, could you please answer my question? I don't know where I am and I'm scared...”

“It's alright.” Nolan spotted a mic and slid it onto his ear, “Can you hear me?”

“Yes, yes I can!”

“Alright, I'm Nolan and the redhead beside me is Ukyo. I honestly don't know where you are, but I know you're in a computer. We just started the computer, too. Do you know anything about yourself?”

“Mmm...” she shook her head, “No. I don't even remember my name.”

“May I?” Ukyo asked, holding out a hand. Nolan nodded and gave him the mic, “Hey, I'm Ukyo. If you don't mind, we can investigate the computer and try to find out more about it. Maybe we can even get you out of there!”

“That would be great!” she smiled, then frowned, “But what am I? What are you?”

“Er...” Ukyo quickly gave the mic back to Nolan.

“You're an A.I., Artificial Intelligence. You're a computer program that's suppose to think like a human, which is what we are. I'm not sure that we can get you out of there, but I'm willing to try. For now, though, how about we give you a name?”

“Sure! Any name is fine with me.”

“Aura.” Ukyo whispered. Nolan nodded and repeated the name, “How about that? Ukyo suggested it.”

“I like it!” Aura said, “Aura I shall be!” The boys smiled at her enthusiasm, but Ukyo suddenly facepalmed.

“Oh man, I forgot!” he hissed, “We need to get back to school! It's almost time for dorm checks to begin!”

“Uh oh. Aura, we have to go.”

“What? Can't you stay?”

“Not right now, but we'll be back later. Until then, see if you can connect to the computer or even the internet. We want to learn as much about this thing as we can so we can help you.”

“Thank you. Wherever you go, please be safe.”

“We will. See you later, Aura.” Putting the computer on Sleep Mode, Nolan took off the mic and laid it back on the keyboard.

“Let's go.” He stood and they went back to the elevator, but the encounter was still on their minds.

“We're keeping this a secret, aren't we?” Ukyo said as they climbed up the cables.

“Of course. Who would believe us otherwise?” They ran across the bridge and opened the manhole.

“Then let's keep it between us. And maybe tomorrow you can find some parts for your robot before we go meet her.” They grabbed their skateboards and began skating back.

“The robot can wait. Aura needs us right now.”

“Alright.” Ukyo smiled, “But if we ever need help, I know who can keep the secret.” Nolan gave him a glance.

“Let's also not tell the adults. They won't believe us, like I said, and no one else would either.”

“Depends on who you're talking to.” they stopped beside the Boiler Room entrance and rested the skateboards against the wall, “I know everything about everyone in school, kid. If you ever want to know something about someone, I'll tell you. Just as long as it's not a secret, of course.”

* * *

The next day, Nolan was up early and had his laptop in hand. He was waiting outside the cafeteria for his friends and saw two boys waiting by the gates. One wore a plaid green jacket and had blond hair while the other was shorter, also blond, and wore a blue jacket.

“They're Mikah and John.” Nolan turned, surprised to see Kyle there, “They're some of the non-boarders.”

“If they are, then what are they waiting for?”

“Sherlock, probably. See, those two and Sherlock all live in the same apartment, 221B Baker Street, which isn't far from here. Mikah always says he owns the place, but if you ask me, it's under the ownership of Mycroft, Sherlock's older brother.”

“If he lives with them, why isn't Sherlock with them?”

“That's why.” Kyle pointed past the gates at three people walking down the street. One was Haruka and the other two were boys, about the same age. One was blond with a long red cape and the other black-haired, who could be seen wearing a blue plaid coat.

“Sherlock's the black-haired guy. The other is Alfred.” Kyle grimaced, “Man, if Ukyo could see them he'd flip his lid!”

“Why?”

“Well, Haruka and Alfred live with their brothers and tend to walk to school together each day. Alfred also likes Haruka and tries to flirt with her all the time. Sherlock intervenes when they pass by his place, but Ukyo hates the both of them because, even though one's protecting her, he believes they're both making passes at her.” Nolan raised an eyebrow.

“Overprotective much?”

“Heh, you should hear him talk in his sleep.” It was at that moment Haruka and the boys arrived at the gates. Alfred gave a bow to Haruka before walking away while Sherlock and his group went in the opposite direction., but not before Sherlock glared at Alfred immensely. Haruka came over to them, a blush on her cheeks.

“Honestly, that guy...” she growled as they continued to the cafeteria.

“You can't really blame him, Haruka.” Kyle told her, “Few girls go to this school and you're one of the few. Think of how we must feel!”

“If you don't shut up you're going to get it, Allan.” she hissed. He quickly backed off, he and Nolan letting her go ahead by herself.

“Allan?”

“It's a nickname. Everyone knows I love Alice in Wonderland, so they call me Allan sometimes, or the Cheshire Cat if they want to be funny.” Kyle glanced forward at Haruka, “Hopefully Ukyo can get her to calm down.”

“Hey, new kid!” The turned to see three boys coming up to them. Kyle tugged Nolan behind him, growling at the three. The main boy had silver hair and yellow eyes with a black coat draped over his shoulders and a green scarf. The other two were distinctly different; the one to the right had long, white-blond hair and red eyes with a red coat while the one to the left had black hair, green eyes, and a purple hoodie. They all had a blue-purple rose pin on the front of their shirts.

“Cheshire, why don't you scamper along and get some cat food?” the boy to the right sneered, “We just want to talk to the new kid!”

“I'd rather stay here and keep him away from you creeps!” Kyle growled.

“Please, ignore my friend's manners.” the middle boy waved off the words, “I'm James and these are my friends, Sebastian and Jack.” The black-haired boy nodded while the other huffed.

“Nice to meet you...” Nolan muttered, not liking the air these three gave off.

“What's your name?”

“Nolan.”

“Nolan, huh? As in Nolan Zarek _Junior_?” Nolan frowned immensely while the three boys opposite him gave great grins.

“Yes, but I would prefer to be called Nolan.”

“But won't that confuse us with your father?” Jack said, “It's better and easier to just call you Junior!” He and James began to laugh while Sebastian only smiled. Growling, Nolan tried to go forward and grab one of them, but Kyle held him back.

“Don't let them get a rise out of you! That's what they want!” he hissed, “One wrong move and you'll be sent to the Principal's office!” Though thoroughly irritated, Nolan conceded his point and tried to calm down.

“Well, seems you've made friends on the wrong side of the line.” James mused, “Let's hope you don't go to that pathetic Sherlock and make him your friend, too.” With those words, he and his gang continued into the cafeteria.

* * *

“I heard about things from Kyle.” Ukyo admitted when he met Nolan at lunch, the blue-haired boy working on his computer, “I wish you didn't have to meet those three, but you had to sometime.”

“James told me to stay away from Sherlock. Why?”

“They've known each other for a long time and are big enemies and rivals. Jack mostly goads people into fighting him while Sebastian stays quiet. He's really loyal to James for some reason, though, and will do whatever he wants. All in all, with the exception of Sebastian, they're bad news.”

“I noticed.” Ukyo sighed at the response he got.

“Look on the bright side, we don't have any classes for the rest of today, so we can go to the factory.” That certainly made Nolan brighten up.

“That's good. And also, for when we talk with Aura, I'm going to hook my computer to the one she's in. Maybe I can copy the program that allows me to talk with her so we don't have to go to the factory to do it all the time.”

“Great, but...” Ukyo frowned, “I've been thinking.” His words made Nolan pause.

“What is it?”

“Well, if the computer could hold Aura, then what if it also held something else? Something more dangerous?”

“I suppose that's a possibility.” Nolan closed the laptop, “If you're done, let's get going.” Ukyo nodded and followed him out of the building before stopping him.

“Let's go shopping first.” he glanced back, “It might be in our best interests.” Nolan followed his gaze to see Haru, Kaito, and Luke looking at them.

“Alright, but they aren't bad, are they?” Ukyo shook his head.

“No, but they're nosy, and we don't need anyone following us right now.”

“But how are we supposed to get my scooter? I don't even have a credit card...”

“Leave that to me.” Nolan gave Ukyo a skeptical look, wondering what he was up to.

* * *

“How do you even _have_ 40 Euros?!” Nolan was amazed at the money Ukyo had in his pockets. They were taking the long way to the factory through the city, the scooter tucked under the redhead's arm. It was silver with dark blue highlights and could easily fold or unfold, perfect for Nolan.

“I had to do a lot of side-jobs for the teachers.” Ukyo shivered, “Never will I be able to look at the stables again without feeling sick...” The shorter boy gave him a weirded-out look, but said nothing about it.

“You already know of my plan to copy the communication program. After that, I'm going to check the basics of the supercomputer before diving into it.”

“You really think it's a supercomputer?”

“What else could it be? I suppose it could just be an old computer, back when they were so huge they needed to take up an entire room, but I doubt it. They didn't have the kind of processing power that this one has.”

“I guess, but I'm still worried.”

“I don't blame you, but unless something happens, try not to think about it.” Slowly, Ukyo nodded.

“Alright...” It was at that point they reached the bridge. Ukyo looked across the river, then stopped.

“Hey, wait a sec.”

“Yes?”

“Look over there.” the redhead pointed to two large metal doors hidden in the grass near the factory, “I've never noticed those before. Where do you suppose they lead?”

“I don't know. Do you want to investigate?”

“Yeah, but there's no way I'm leaving you alone!”

“I'll be fine.” Nolan gave him a nod, “You know where to find me.” The blue-haired boy continued on his way, leaving Ukyo alone. The redhead dropped his gaze down and saw that there was no way to cross the water except for the bridge. Anxiously toying with the wristband on his right wrist, Ukyo sighed and ran across the bridge. Beside the entrance, attached to the side of the bridge, were rungs leading down to the ground, which is the route Ukyo took. Going over to the doors, the boy tugged them open, revealing stairs descending into the darkness.

“Now then, let's see where this goes. Hopefully not too far...” Ukyo muttered to himself as he tugged out his phone. Turning it on and using it as a flashlight, he went down the stairs. He followed them until things leveled out, then went up. Continuing his path, he was met with a trap door and, upon opening it, found himself in the main floor of the factory, not far from the lift. Mentally noting to keep the route in mind in case of emergency, Ukyo climbed out, closed the trapdoor, and used the elevator to see Nolan.

“How was your trip?” the shorter boy didn't even look up as the elevator doors opened. Aura was on the computer screen, watching as Nolan typed on his laptop, a cord stretching between it and the supercomputer.

“Good. Except for the need of a boat to get across the river, it also leads to the main floor.”

“Do you think there are any other ways to get down here besides the elevator?”

“Probably, just in case the elevator broke down. Why? Do you want me to look for one?” Nolan nodded, not looking up from the screen.

“Just in case, of course.”

“Got it.” Ukyo smiled and then began looking around the room for more trapdoors or other hidden ways out of the room.

“Is Ukyo back?” Aura asked, hearing Nolan's side of the conversation but unable to see the redhead, as he was out of sight of the computer screen.

“Yes, and I think I've got the program. Cut this channel and wait for a connection from me, okay?” Hesitantly, Aura nodded and disappeared from the supercomputer's screen. Unplugging the laptop from the giant computer, Nolan continued to type. It was at that point Ukyo found another way out of the room besides going down. Tugging on a wall panel, it pulled away easily to reveal wires hanging down, except they weren't attached to anything. Curious, the redhead pushed them aside (finding them very heavy) and saw a passageway leading up, similar to the one in the Boiler Room at school.

“Found it!” he called, “If you need me, I'll be checking it out!” He then went through the wires and disappeared as the panel closed behind him. He wasn't there to hear Nolan cheer when Aura's face appeared on the screen of the laptop.

“Yes! Now I can talk to you anytime!”

“Wonderful!” Aura was just as excited as Nolan, “And like you asked, I found out a few things about the supercomputer, as you call it.”

“What are they?”

“I live in a digital world called Lyoko, where there are four sectors. Each has a different environment, and I think you can see them on the hologram you mentioned.” Nolan looked up at the four lines in the orb and guessed that she was right, “There are also lots of towers, and they all glow light blue! There are also cables connecting the towers and they run through the sectors. I'm hiding out in a tower right now!”

“'Hiding out?'” Nolan frowned, “Did something happen?” Aura shook her head.

“No, why?”

“'Hiding out' usually means that you're hiding from something. You sure you're okay?”

“Of course I am.” The elevator suddenly began to move, causing Nolan to glance over to it, curious.

“Anything else, Aura?”

“No, but I did come across a few information files. Here, I'll send them to you.” Immediately a few windows popped up on the laptop screen, “They detail about things called 'Return to the Past,' 'Scanners,' and 'XANA.' I didn't have time to read them, but hopefully they can give us some insight.”

“Hey.” Ukyo waved as the lift's doors opened, “That passage led to the Boiler Room of the factory. It'll be a great help if we need to lose someone or get here without the elevator.”

“Aura, could you please connect back to the supercomputer so we can take a look at these files together? Ukyo's here and since he's in this with me, he needs to know. Hopefully we can help you together.”

“Alright.” Aura disappeared from the laptop and came back onto the supercomputer's screen, bringing the information files with her. She had left copies on Nolan's laptop for him to look at later if he wanted to know more.

“So you managed to copy the program?” Ukyo asked, going over to join Nolan.

“Yes, and I've got some big news.” As he scanned his eyes over the files, the shorter boy filled the taller in on what Aura had told him. The redhead gave a low whistle.

“That's a lot to think about.” Ukyo muttered.

“I don't believe it.” Nolan rested his chin on his hand as he leaned a little closer to the screen, “It seems the Scanners allow people to go into Lyoko and the Return to the Past allows you to go back in time up to 24 hours!”

“Oh, about that...” Aura seemed to shift uneasily, “All of the sectors are over a huge body of water called the Digital Sea. If you touch it, your data will be lost and scattered, and you can never get out, not even if you use a Return to the Past. I'm not sure how I know it, but I do.” Nolan relayed the info to his friend.

“Seems nasty.” Ukyo commented, “Is there anything else the RTTP can't bring back?” The blue-haired boy gave the other a look at the nickname, but continued to scan the file.

“Yes, right here.” he pointed to a section with the mouse, “It seems if someone dies, they can't be brought back.”

“Touching the Digital Sea must be like that, then.”

“It also says that it doesn't affect people who have been scanned or have gone to Lyoko.” Nolan gave the redhead another look. Ukyo paled.

“No way, I'm not going in there!” he shook his head, “What if something goes wrong? What if I get stuck there for some reason, like falling into the Digital Sea?”

“Unless you're very clumsy, I doubt that will happen.” Typing, Nolan brought up a card-like image on the screen. It was pink, had a picture of Aura's face at the top and underneath were three gauges, though one was in dots, and to the side of each was a 100/100 scale. The dots were green, the second gauge was red, and the bottom was orange. Clicking it, it flipped to show a bullseye with lines on the back, also in pink.

“This is an ID Card, Aura's to be exact.” Nolan explained, “I discovered this right before I tried copying the communication program. It displays everything about her digital avatar: Life Points in green, Special Points in red, and Energy Points in orange. Unlike us, who will probably be kicked out, if she loses all her Life Points, she'll die. I'm not quite sure what the difference is between Special Points and Energy Points, but do you get what I'm trying to say? If we go to Lyoko, we will be experiencing one of the most wonderful things in the world! Sci-Fi enthusiasts would give everything to be in your place right now, you know.”

“Then why don't you go?” Nolan crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Ukyo.

“Only I can operate the supercomputer right now, and I don't know if there's a way to delay the transfer. As it is, this would be the first time I'd be doing it. I wouldn't like to try it on you, but we can't try with anyone else, now could we?” The redhead was silent, closing his eyes and sighing.

“...Fine. But I hope nothing happens.” Ukyo went over to the opening that led down to the cylinder room (the Scanner Room, Nolan guessed it could be called now) and climbed down.

“Okay, Ukyo, step into a scanner.” Nolan said, briefly switching the mic's communication to the room below, “Scanner, Ukyo. Transfer, Ukyo. Virtualization!”

* * *

The redhead was very nervous and hesitant to enter the tube, but did so anyway at Nolan's instruction, putting his trust in his new friend. Turning, he watched the doors close and a light began scanning his body, causing his eyes to close. A soft wind began to blow and a tingling feeling filled his body, where he could feel himself being picked apart, much to his fear. He also stopped breathing and he was tempted to move, but found he couldn't. Panic threatened to engulf him until he was pieced back together and he could breathe, where he felt himself falling onto his butt. He felt a twinge of pain and opened his eyes, rubbing his bottom as he stood.

He found himself in a land of ice, right in front of a large white cylinder with an ugly brown gray bottom and a blue aura. He then looked at himself, finding that he now wore a black and red samurai outfit with a black cloth headband. The headband had a strip of metal in front, just above his eyes, and two katanas hung from his back.

“Ukyo, can you hear me?” came Nolan's voice from nowhere, “Are you okay? Was the transfer successful?”

“Yeah, but where are you? I can't see you.”

“I can't see you directly either, but I have a map image of you. You're right in front of the tower where Aura is. As for me, I'm still in the computer room.”

“It's like you're a voiceover guy on those gameshows...” Ukyo muttered, “As it is, I look like a samurai, but with two blades instead of one. What does my ID Card look like?”

“There's not a picture of your face yet, but it's red and on the back is a dark red sun with a four-pointed shuriken inside it. Your avatar might be based on your personality, I think.”

“What do you mean?”

“You're a big brother to many people, from what I've heard, and that includes protecting them. Samurai were protectors, and you have two swords for twice the protection, right?”

“Yeah, but it still seems strange.”

“Ukyo!” The redhead turned to see Aura come out of the tower. Blue-white waves passed across the surface as she came out and waved to him. She wore a pink long-sleeved shirt with the lined bullseye on the front and white pants. She only wore pink slippers, making her look like she was in pajamas.

“You _are_ Ukyo, right?” she asked as she walked closer, “Is this what you look like? You looked different in the Lab.”

“Only here, Princess.” he gave her a smile.

“Um, guys?” Nolan sounded confused and worried, “I've got red dots heading your way. They might be enemies. Aura, get in the tower. Ukyo, I'm going to materialize you-”

“No.” the redhead took out his swords, “If there are enemies here, they're probably trying to stop or hurt Aura. Might as well get some practice in, right?”

“There are three of them and we don't know how much damage they can do! Ukyo, I'm pulling you-”

“Here they come!” Aura pointed to the sky. Flying down were three green bugs with several wings, reminiscent of hornets. In place of eyes they had the lined bullseye.

“Careful! I've got an ID Card of them now and they've got 50 LP.” Seeing as the monsters had arrived, Nolan ground his teeth, knowing he wouldn't be able to pull Ukyo out without endangering Aura, “Aura, get to the tower!” This time the girl began running, but the bugs went after her. A red light came from their tails and they shot lasers at Aura. A few missed but one hit Aura on the shoulder. She cried out in pain and on Nolan's side, another screen came up. It was a digital construction of Aura and had her hit shoulder blinking red. Checking her health, Nolan gasped.

“She lost 20 LP in that one hit! 4 more and she'll die! UKYO, PROTECT HER!”

“On it!” Ukyo ran forward and slashed at one, on the bullseye. It blew apart, leaving the other two.

“Either you can cause 50 LP per hit or you found their weak spot!” Nolan spoke. Aura got up and continued running to the tower, the two bugs on her tail.

“Hey! Over here, you hornets!” They turned to see Ukyo throw both of his swords and take them out at the same time. Picking up the swords, Ukyo put them away and he went into the tower after Aura. On the inside, the sides were covered in all sorts of blue squares and he stood on a blue platform. It was lit up with two small walkways and showed the bullseye.

“You okay?” Ukyo knelt next to the panting Aura.

“Yes. I'm feeling better already.”

“You should be, your points are regenerating.” Nolan's voice came in, much calmer than before.

“What were those things?” Ukyo asked.

“I'm reading the XANA file and I think I know. It says here that XANA is a multi-agent program, but went rogue and was trapped in here with Aura.” Suddenly, the tower began to shake slightly.

“Something's wrong...” Ukyo held onto his swords, eyes glancing around for danger.

“Your tower's activated for some reason.” Nolan said, “A very familiar icon came up and the tower turned red. I think XANA's woken up at last. Aura, since you've been on Lyoko just as long, maybe you can reverse the effects of whatever XANA's trying to pull. Ukyo, I'm getting you out of there.” A familiar sensation came over Ukyo and he closed his eyes. As he went back through the motions of Virtualization in reverse, he was left with a slightly queasy feeling. As the doors opened and steam came out, he gasped and put his hands on the sides of the tube. It wasn't for long, though, as he heard crashes from upstairs and Nolan screaming.

“Nolan!” Ukyo rushed up the rungs to find his friend backed into a corner, the wires of the room having come to life and were now trying to electrocute him. Spotting a loose metal plate on the floor, he tore it off and threw it at the wires. They reared back, as if alive, and the plate sliced somewhat through them before falling away. Picking up again and with another blow, Ukyo sliced the wires and they fell flat.

“You okay?” he panted.

“Y-yeah.” Nolan was shaking, so Ukyo took off his jacket and put it around his shoulders, though he knew the reason wasn't because the shorter was cold.

“Nolan? Ukyo?” Hearing Aura's voice, the redhead took Nolan's place in the chair, putting the mic over his ear.

“I'm fine, Nolan's fine. We got attacked by wires, but I managed to stop them. How are you?”

“I think I deactivated the tower! I went up to another platform and it asked for a code, so I touched it and it took my handprint. My named appeared on screen as well as a code, and the tower turned off. The code was the same as this world, but my name wasn't Aura. It was Kayla!” She then looked concerned, “But are you guys sure you're okay? Electricity can kill, you know!”

“Yeah, we know.” Ukyo glanced back at Nolan, “Look, we'll talk later. Stay in the tower until then!” Leaving the computer, he took the still-shaking boy into his arms and left the factory.

* * *

“And how badly was he shocked?” Rennoshin asked, examining Nolan. Ukyo had taken him to the Nurse's Office at school, not sure where else to take his new friend, and was now wearing his jacket again.

“I don't know. I just saw him get shocked by his computer.” Ukyo gazed at the blue-haired boy, “Is he going to be okay?”

“Yes, but he needs to rest. He'll be back on his feet by tomorrow at the latest.”

“Could you leave us alone, please?” Rennoshin gave a smile.

“Of course. If you need anything, I'll be in my office.” Nodding to the nurse, Ukyo sat in a chair beside Nolan's bed. As soon as Rennoshin was gone, he opened his eyes.

“W...what happened?” he asked.

“You got shocked, probably by XANA.”

“What about Aura?”

“She's fine. She managed to deactivate the tower, too, but I doubt that was going to be a oneshot attack. Also, Aura isn't her name. It's Kayla. She found that out when she turned off the tower.” Ukyo frowned, “What about you? Rennoshin said you would be fine, but how do you feel?”

“Awful.” he groaned, “Did you leave the computer behind?”

“Yeah, why? Do you need me to go get it?”

“It would be a big help, especially if XANA attacks again.”

“Alright.” Ukyo stood, “This school has ears everywhere, so you might be getting some visits. Try to be nice, okay?” Nolan rolled his eyes, but gave a thumbs-up.

“I'll try. Can't promise anything.”

“I don't expect you to.” As Ukyo left the room, he found Kyle out in the hallway.

“How is he?” the purple-loving boy asked.

“He just needs some rest and should be up and about tomorrow.” Ukyo made to go past him, but Kyle blocked the way.

“Is something going on? You seem stranger than normal.”

“I'm a bit worried about Nolan, getting shocked and all.” Ukyo admitted, it not being a complete lie, “Hopefully the computers can get checked out so this doesn't happen again.”

“Yeah.” Kyle nodded and the two went out into the school hallway, where he brought out his pocketwatch, “It's almost time for the kendo tournament! You have enough money for tickets?” The redhead blanched. He had originally saved up money so the two of them and Haruka could get in (the tickets were expensive), but had used all of it to help Nolan buy a scooter.

“Sorry, but I'm almost broke.” Kyle gave him an incredulous look.

“What?! You and I cleaned the stables, the Science Building, and so many other gross places for those 40 Euros! What did you spend them on without telling me?!” Ukyo ducked his head in shame, avoiding Kyle's eyes.

“I was helping Nolan. He needed a scooter so he could get to the factory easier, and since his father probably wouldn't give him any money...” he trailed off at that. Kyle hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans, sighing.

“Okay, that's a good reason. You'll have to be the one to break the news to Haruka, though. She'll skin you alive, Nolan or not!” Ukyo winced.

“I know. I'm heading to the factory to grab something, though. I'll have to tell her later.” He began walking away, where the light brunette jogged to catch up.

“You're going to risk her temper just to go to the factory?! Who are you and what have you done with Ukyo?!”

“I'm still Ukyo, Kyle!” the redhead protested, then sighed, “Look, if you promise not to tell anyone, there's something I need to show you to make you understand.” The cat-lover raised an eyebrow.

“How serious is this?”

“'Saving the world' serious.” Kyle held out a hand.

“Then count me in.” The two shook hands before heading to the Boiler Room.

“Is Nolan involved?” the purple-loving guy asked as he grabbed his skateboard. Ukyo had left his and Nolan's scooter at the factory, so he would be going on foot.

“As much as I am and you will be, yeah.” They set off, Ukyo keeping up easily, even though Kyle had wheels to help.

“Mind giving me a rundown before we get there?”

“There's this huge computer, a supercomputer as Nolan called it, and it holds this virtual world. A girl named Kayla is trapped in it and Nolan and I promised to help get her out. The computer can also cause things to go back in time and holds a virus called XANA. I don't know what gender it is, but I'm calling it a 'he' and he zapped Nolan pretty good. If you ask me, that's not the only thing XANA's going to do.”

“But you can't stop him because that would mean Kayla would also be trapped inside.”

“Exactly.” Ukyo nodded, “Even though I don't like it, I'm helping Nolan get her out.” he glanced at his friend, “You surprised at all?” Kyle shrugged.

“A little.” he admitted, jumping off his board and stomping on it. It spun in the air and he grabbed it, putting it beside Ukyo's and Nolan's vehicles as his roommate came to a stop, panting, “Not really all that surprised because of the weird stuff I've read, I guess.”

“C'mon, we're almost there.” Ukyo climbed the ladder, followed by Kyle.

“So the supercomputer is in the factory?” the light brunette asked as they swung down on the cables, stopping right in front of the elevator, “I thought we had been everywhere.”

“Everywhere except here.” Tugging his friend into the elevator with him, Ukyo pulled away the cover and pressed in the code. Instantly the elevator took them down, but it stopped in the Lab first instead of the Scanner or Supercomputer rooms. Kyle's eyes widened at the sight as Ukyo went over to grab the laptop.

“...Okay, this is cooler than I imagined.” the cat-lover admitted, “And don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone else about this.”

“I knew you wouldn't. Now come on, we've got to get this back to Nolan and face Haruka's wrath.”

“Oh no, you're facing her yourself! Don't drag me into it!”

“You're my wingman, though!”

“Not this time! She's gonna skin you alive and I don't want to be caught in the crossfire!”

“Kyle!” Ukyo gave his friend a pleading look as they returned to the surface.

“No no no no no nonononono!” Kyle furiously shook his head as he climbed one of the cables, “You're gonna die by her hands, it's that simple. I'm not getting my head cut off because of her, okay? You to go have your lover's spat, just leave me out of it!”

“Kyle, please! At least treat my injuries?”

“I can do that, but anything else that involves Haruka I can't do.”

“Thanks, buddy.”

“No problem...”

* * *

When Nolan woke up the next morning, he felt much better than yesterday. And when he looked around, he found his laptop on the table beside his bed. As he sat up, Rennoshin came in.

“Glad to see you're awake. How do you feel?” he asked.

“Much better.” The blue-haired boy grabbed the laptop, “Who left this?”

“Ukyo and Kyle came by last night. It's been sitting there since then. And seeing as you seem to have no ill effects, you may leave. Have a good Sunday!” With a smile, Rennoshin left him to his own devices. Immediately he slid out of bed and went straight to his room, luckily meeting no one on the way.

“Kayla?” he spoke as he brought up the communication program. She instantly appeared and clapped.

“Oh, you're okay!” she said, “I was so worried!” Nolan gave a small smile.

“I'm fine, thanks for your concern. Anything big happen on Lyoko since Ukyo and I had to go?”

“No, not yet. However, Ukyo contacted me last night.” This made Nolan raise his eyebrows.

“Really? What did he tell you?”

“That we have a new member.” The blue-haired boy turned in his chair to see both Kyle and Ukyo in the doorway to his room. They entered, Kyle closing the door as Nolan's eyes narrowed.

“Ukyo told me everything.” the light brunette said, “But since I've been able to keep Strawberry a secret for so long and I'm Ukyo's best friend, you can count on me.”

“He's a good guy, Nolan.” Ukyo said, “He also knows me better than almost anyone, so it was only a matter of time before he found out. It's better this way, now that we have three protectors for Kayla.”

“Protectors?” Kyle gave his friend a questioning look.

“I didn't tell you about that? Sorry! Anyway, we-”

“We can all go to Lyoko through the Scanners at the factory.” Nolan interrupted, a softer look on his face, “Ukyo went there yesterday, before XANA attacked, and saved Kayla from some monsters. My guess is that she's the only one that can stop him, so we need to protect her during each attack until we can get her out.”

“I hope you can get me out of here soon. I don't like it here that much...” Kayla spoke. Everyone turned to her.

“I'm sure we'll get you out of there in no time!” Ukyo gave her a large smile, “And Kyle, besides going to Lyoko, the Scanners also prevent us from losing our memory with the time thing.”

“The Return to the Past, or RTTP for short.” Nolan corrected, using the nickname Ukyo had come up with, “Since we have no classes today, I'd like to go back to the factory and search more on the supercomputer. It might also be a good time for you two to get some practice in, seeing as XANA could attack at any time.”

“You could also show us how to work the supercomputer.” Kyle added, “If something happened to you, then neither of us would be able to get to Lyoko since you're the only one who knows how to work everything.”

“That's a good idea.” Ukyo agreed, “What do you think, Nolan?” The last boy nodded.

“That would also be very helpful for me, since I would need some experience if I ever had to go to Lyoko and fight.”

“It's settled then!” Kayla smiled, “I'll see you all at the factory!” She left the screen.

* * *

“And where are you three going today?” Nolan, Ukyo, and Kyle turned to see James and his gang come up to them. The trio had been crossing through the courtyard on their way to the Boiler Room before being spotted and were now forced to stop. Kyle and Nolan glared while Ukyo stepped forward, frowning.

“We're just going for a walk. Why do you want to know?” Ukyo spoke, hoping for things not to turn into a fight.

“I thought Junior was supposed to be a loner and in the Infirmary, but here he is, walking with you and Cheshire.” Jack goaded, “You sure there isn't anything else to it?” Nolan stepped forward, but Kyle pulled him back, glaring enough for the both of them at the three boys opposite.

“We're friends. Besides, what would you know about Nolan?” Jack opened his mouth to speak, but James held up a hand.

“Let me speak.” he met Ukyo's eyes, a confident smile on his face, “You may know everything about everyone here, but we know something about Nolan that you don't. We can spread it around unless you tell us what's going on.”

“That's blackmail!” Kyle hissed.

“Would you rather have everyone hate your new friend, then?” James asked, “I've also heard that Haruka is mad at you, Ukyo. That means she's up for the taking, doesn't it?” It was Nolan's turn to help Kyle hold the redhead back when he heard those words.

“Flirt with her and die!” he growled.

“Oh, is that a threat?” Jack said, “You know the principal won't be too happy to find out his 'picture perfect' student is threatening others!”

“Knock it off, all of you.” The two groups turned to see Haruka coming toward them, being escorted by Sherlock, Mikah, John, and Alfred. Despite how they were there to help, Ukyo glared at all four boys, causing Mikah to hide behind John, but Sherlock and Alfred were unaffected.

“Moriarty, tattling on Zarek would just leave you open to others telling on you.” Sherlock said, “Do you want to principal to know how you three steal all over town?” James, Jack, and Sebastian all froze at those words, showing Sherlock's point.

“Unless you want Makoto to know about it, I suggest you scram and not tell anyone.” Alfred said, “And if you do, well...” he grinned, showing unnaturally sharp teeth, “Just know that my brother has some brass knuckles ready to use.”

“...We'll keep that in mind.” James said quietly, the smile wiped off his face. He and his gang quickly fled.

“Thanks, guys.” Haruka gave the four each a bow of gratitude.

“No problem.” Sherlock smiled, as did Alfred. The four returned her bows happily.

“Just come see me if they cause you more trouble.” the blond offered, earning him a glare from the young detective and the redhead, who looked ready to rip someone's throat out.

“We were happy to help.” John added.

“And if you ever need anything or a Jaffa Cake, come see us!” Mikah said sweetly, then darted back behind John as Ukyo glared at him again.

“Thank you, but Jaffa Cakes aren't for me...” She waved to them as they all left, Alfred and Sherlock's group going separate ways, Ukyo almost running after Alfred as he sent the blond girl a kiss. She blushed at that, but quickly shook it off as she turned to the redhead, the light brunette, and the blue-haired boy.

“Okay, what was that about?” she frowned deeply, crossing her arms, “If I hadn't spotted you and brought the others along, it looked like a brawl was going to start!”

“Sorry, Haruka.” Ukyo said, calming down under the ferocity of her look, “They just threatened to tell something about Nolan they thought we didn't know unless we told them what was going on.”

“Well, with Alfred's and Sherlock's threats hanging over their heads, I doubt they'll try something like that again.” she turned to Nolan, “May I ask what is was they threatened to tell?” Nolan frowned.

“It was something that happened recently, to my family. It's not a real secret, since you can find it on the internet or news if you go looking.” he shook his head, “I'm not really bothered by it, except for one thing. I'd rather not talk about it, though.” The others nodded, deciding not to press further.

“And, seeing as you guys can't get through the courtyard without getting into trouble, can I come?”

“Sure/No.” Ukyo and Nolan shared a look, frowning at each other.

“You may like her, but I don't think we should take the chance.”

“She won't tell anyone!”

“How would you know? You need to think logically, Ukyo.”

“I am!” he crossed his arms, “She'd be able to help _and_ keep a secret!”

“I'm on Ukyo's side.” Kyle interrupted, “Haruka's a good girl, Nolan, and I'm not attracted to her like most others are.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Haruka deadpanned. Kyle gave her a smile, despite the sarcasm.

“Alright.” Nolan rubbed his face, “But only if you both believe she won't speak of this to anyone.”

“Of course I won't. What do you take me for, a fool?” she shook her head at them, “Anyway, let's get to somewhere more private. It's obvious this is something important to you guys, after all.”

“This way.” Ukyo took the lead and they all went to the Boiler Room and, from there, to the sewers.

“Here, you can take mine.” the redhead handed to her his skateboard, seeing as she didn't have anything to ride with.

“Will you be able to keep up?”

“I'm on the track team for a reason.” he winked, “Don't worry about me. We'll give you a rundown of everything on the way, if you want.”

“It'd be helpful, yeah.” They then set off and explained to her everything they knew, just like Ukyo had done to Kyle the day before. They were impressed at her handling of the skateboard and though two of them trusted her completely, Nolan was still wary. He hadn't been with her as much as he had to the other two, which was understandable, and kept an eye on her reaction. She seemed calm until they stopped, where she allowed her eyes to go wide.

“You're kidding!” she said at last, but then shook her head, “Of course, with you two, it's not that surprising. I'll help in any way I can.” she looked to Nolan and held out her hand, “I won't tell anyone, I promise. And I agree with Ukyo on not telling the adults or other people unless we trust them and know what they'll do. Things will end badly if we do.” She shared a look with Ukyo at those words. Nolan stared at her hand, then hesitantly took it.

“Okay.” he sighed, “Then let's go and start doing what we need to. Haruka, you and I will work on the computer. Ukyo and Kyle, you'll be going to Lyoko.”

“Yes sir!” They all saluted him with grins, causing the blue-haired boy to roll his eyes.

* * *

“Ready?” Nolan put on his mic, Haruka beside him. Kyle and Ukyo were below and getting into the scanners.

“Y-yeah.” Kyle swallowed, feeling a bit scared as he stepped into the giant tube.

“Don't worry, I'm scared too.” Ukyo gave his roommate an assuring smile, though his eyes didn't match it.

“Scanner, Kyle.” the tube closed on him, making the light brunette jump, “Scanner, Ukyo. Transfer, Kyle. Transfer, Ukyo. Virtualization!”

“Oof!” Kyle landed on his butt while Ukyo had the sense to land on his feet this time. Instead of being on ice, they were in an orange and rocky, desert-like place.

“Now you really _do_ look like the Cheshire Cat!” the redhead exclaimed, hands on his hips. Kyle stood and looked down at himself. He had a long, purple tail with light purple stripes, claws on both his hands and feet, and upon touching his hair, felt cat ears on top. The rest of his skin-tight outfit was purple and yellow, with a symbol of a wide smile on his chest, and there were purple markings on his face. He also had a belt and attached to it was a larger version of his pocketwatch.

“And you look like a samurai!” Kyle shot back, “I wonder what my powers are...”

“Try something.” Ukyo took out his swords, “We both need a little practice, so this would be our best bet to try everything out.”

“You've got swords and all I've got are my claws!” Kyle whined, his ears drooping.

“Heads up!” Ukyo slashed at his friend, not actually aiming to hit him, and on instinct, Kyle ducked. As he did, he thought about getting far away from what was going on and was enveloped in a bright white light.

“What the-?!” were the last words he heard from Ukyo before the light faded. When he opened his eyes and looked around, Ukyo was no where to be seen and he was in a different place, but still in the desert.

“What just happened?” he asked.

“Teleportation, I believe.” Nolan spoke. Kyle jumped and landed on all fours, looking around.

“Nolan?! Where are you?! I can't see you!”

“I'm in the computer lab. As soon as you and Ukyo entered Lyoko, I got a map visual of where you were, but you just moved over 10 degrees away. It seems to be a huge distance away from Ukyo, so can you or can you not see him?”

“Nope. Not a speck of the redhead.”

“Nolan! Where did he go?! Don't tell me he fell into the Digital Sea or something!” Nolan winced as he heard Ukyo's shout.

“He's fine, just 10 degrees to your West. From what I can tell, each area is its own environment and they are measured in degrees, with the entire area being about 100 degrees. Each has their own set of degrees, too. The Desert Sector, which is where the two of you are, goes East to West, the center being East and the farthest most point being West. It's the same with the other Sectors, just with different directions. Ice Sector is North to South, for example, and the other two probably being the opposite of the Desert and Ice Sectors.”

“Got it, but how far away is that?” Ukyo asked.

“About 5 kilometers for every 10 degrees.”

“That's a pretty good distance.” Kyle commented, “Let me try getting back to Ukyo.” The catboy knew that he had teleported so far because he had wanted to get out of the fight and to a good distance away, so he guessed he just had to imagine where Ukyo was to go back. He did so and when the light enveloped him again, he went back, as he had suspected he would. However, he almost landed on Ukyo, where the samurai managed to dodge.

“Easy on the teleporting!” he said as Kyle stood from his crouch.

“Sorry.” The light brunette had the grace to look sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

“Now this is interesting.” Nolan murmured.

“What is it?” Ukyo asked.

“Well, remember when I told you about the various gauges on the ID Cards? I've taken a look at Kyle's and it seems his Special Points have gone down. Perhaps the Special Points represent your abilities and how much energy you have in total for them all.”

“How many points have I lost?” Kyle asked.

“2. It seems that for every teleportation, you only lose 1 point. That will be useful if you need to dodge all the time.”

“With how he doesn't seem to have a weapon, he just might have to.”

“I've gotta have a fighting ability, though! Maybe my claws do something. Attack me again!”

“Alright...” Ukyo frowned but did so, striking at Kyle once again. Instead of dodging, the purple-lover crossed his arms and a light purple shield came up, preventing Ukyo from striking him. The samurai hopped backward slightly in surprise and Kyle put the shield down by uncrossing his arms.

“I just brought up a shield! How many points did that take?”

“5.” This time is was Haruka's voice instead, “Nolan's gone to create a new program to detect XANA's attacks, so he's left me in charge of the computer. See what else you two can do and I'll write down everything.” They nodded, even though she couldn't see them, and began trading blows and such.

* * *

By the time 3 PM rolled around, they had figured out some, if not all, of their abilities. These are what they figured out:

**Kyle:**

**Teleportation: 1 SP for every teleport, cannot take others with him**

**Shield: 5 SP every minute used (but considerably weak, getting smashed after a few hits)**

**Laser Arrows: 10 AP, uses 1 SP for every 100 (a counter to the side showed how many arrows Kyle had in stock, which was 10,000)**

**Laser Flash: 20 AP, uses 10 SP for every shot**

**Mindreading: 5 SP every 30 seconds (this could be used by his pocketwatch, which was very amusing, but didn't let him see where he was going)**

**Ukyo:**

**Super Sprint: 5 SP to use, 1 for every 30 seconds if used continuously**

**Triplicate: 10 SP and 2 LP, 1 for each clone**

**Triangulate: Unless Triplicate is active, 20 SP and 2 LP**

**Energy Discs: 25 AP and 20 SP**

**Energy Beam: 50 AP and 30 SP**

All in all, the two were powerful in their own ways. Ukyo was a speed demon and used his clones and speed to confuse his foes while Kyle was wily and dodged anything that came at him. Ukyo's swords could also block attacks or even send them back at their owners, making them much more durable shields than Kyle's was. But when they came back, even though they were fine, both felt faintly sick and tired.

“I think it might be from the Virtualization.” Haruka mused when they came back, “Your body doesn't like to get virtualized, so when you come back, you can't go back again for a while.”

“That might be a problem, then.” Ukyo said, “If we have to protect Kayla and all of us get devirtualized, then who's going to protect her?”

“I will.” The three looked to see Nolan closing his laptop, “That's it's a good idea to teach you the basics of the supercomputer, just in case that happens. I'll be the last resort, if push comes to shove.”

“What about the program, the one to detect a XANA attack?” Kyle asked, “Are you finished?”

“Not yet, but I've certainly made some progress. If I keep working the rest of this week, I should be able to get it finished by Saturday.”

“You know you don't have that kind of time to use, right?” Ukyo said.

“I do, which is why I'm planning to work much of the night to do it.”

“At least get some sleep, though!” Kyle said, “We've still got classes to do and the teachers will get suspicious if you sleep through them!”

“I know, I know...” Nolan sighed, know his friend was worried for him but also knowing the fate of the world could be hanging in the balance.

“But if you can't, I know who you can go to for help.” Haruka spoke, “There's a boy in some of my classes named Chronus and he has sleeping problems, so he's found a way to stay up all the time without any ill effects. I don't suggest staying up all night, but if you ever need any help in that department, I can get him to talk to you.”

“That would be nice, thank you. As it is, I think I should work a bit on my robot project.” Nolan said, “I hate to say it, but the deadline for it can't be changed and if I get it done quick, then I won't have to worry about it later.”

“I guess we'll be going back to school, then.” Kyle and Ukyo stood from where they had been sitting against the wall, as well as Haruka from the chair.

“I'll stay here to keep an eye on you, okay?” Ukyo offered.

“I'm fine on-”

“No way. You almost got shocked, so I'm not letting that happen again.” the redhead interrupted, shaking his head. Seeing no way to deter Ukyo, Nolan could only nod and they all went into the elevator.

“Hey, what about Kayla?” Haruka asked, “You've told me about her but I haven't heard a word from her or seen her at all. Is she okay?”

“I was talking to her on my laptop while I was working.” Nolan admitted, “So far, things are okay. And before we separate, we should exchange numbers, just in case.” The others nodded and gave their numbers to Nolan as he did the same to them. Seeing as they had been friends before he came, the blue-haired boy assumed they already had each other's numbers and didn't ask. When the elevator reached the main floor, Haruka and Kyle went on their way, leaving Ukyo and Nolan to look for parts. Luckily the pillowcase from the first venture had been left behind in the Lab, so now Nolan carried it as they searched for appropriate parts.

* * *

“Why are you building that?” Kayla asked from the computer as Nolan worked on his robot. He had been working on it since he and Ukyo had gotten back and felt that he was nearing the completion of it.

“It's for a test I have.” he explained, checking some wires, “A test is where you basically check how much you know, and the teachers give one to us every so often. I need to make a robot to pass a test to get into a class, though.”

“Can't you already take it?”

“Not for this class. The teacher picks his students out himself, but they have to prove themselves before they can get in.”

“What you've built looks great!” Nolan blushed.

“Thank you. I'm sorry that I had to work on this before I can help you, though.”

“It's fine. It's also interesting to watch you work.” That made Nolan blush more and duck his head.

“Kayla, you're embarrassing me!”

“Embarrassing you? If that's something bad, I'm sorry!”

“No no, it's okay.” he shook his head and met her eyes, “Embarrassment is where you get hot and shy at something someone said, like your praise. It feels good, but starts to get embarrassing when you give too much of it.”

“I'm sorry, I didn't know...” Nolan sighed.

“It's okay, you've just got a lot to learn. I don't mind teaching you and I doubt the others will, either.”

“Thank you for being so patient with me. You don't seem to be the patient type.” Nolan sat back in his chair.

“Usually I'm not, but ever since I came here, my views have changed.” he admitted, “Since coming here, I've met a lot of great people, more than at my old school. And speaking of that...” he rolled the chair over to the computer and brought up his email. He sighed when he saw that Miguel hadn't answered back yet. How long had it been since he sent back that first email? Several weeks and still no response. He was beginning to doubt Miguel was his friend now, or ever had been. There was the possibility the other boy had become busy, though, or couldn't talk to him for some reason. Nolan hoped that was the case.

“What's wrong?” Kayla asked, frowning slightly at his face.

“Nothing. I'm still waiting on a friend of mine to answer back, though. I hope he's okay...”

“Is he from your old school?” Nolan nodded.

“Yes, his name's Miguel. We became friends after an incident a few months ago and I was hoping to hear back from him already...”

“I'm sure he's okay.” Kayla assured, “Maybe he's just busy or something.”

“That's what I'm hoping.”

“You should go to bed, I think. Is your face what tired is supposed to look like?” Nolan chuckled.

“I suppose it is. I'll talk to you as soon as I can, Kayla. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” She gave him one last smile before the connection was cut, causing him to sigh.

“She's right, I should rest.” he murmured to himself, “Just got to put this away first...” Nolan stood and put away all his tools, placing the robot in the drawer under his bed. There was still a bit of work to do, but hopefully he could finish it up, present it to Professor Crowlie, and get back to helping Kayla. Living a double life was hard, but he supposed he would get used to it.

* * *

Back at the Factory, the computer flickered on and a symbol appeared on it, the same one that was on the computer's hard drive and the towers. It flashed a few times before cables came to life. The sparking cables touched each other and gathered electrical power into one large orb. They then flopped to the floor as the orb floated there, electricity shooting all over the place. It began slowly floating around, as if looking around itself.

* * *

The next morning, as Kayla watched and talked, Nolan finished up his project and was soon running to see Prof. Crowlie. Every so often he had to look at his map, but soon enough he came to the Robotics Lab. He smiled, knowing he was getting better at this, and knocked on the door.

“Come in!” The blue-haired boy entered and spotted the teacher across the room, working on something. Crowlie sat up when he saw who was at the door.

“Hello, Nolan.” he greeted, “What's that under your arm?”

“My project.” Carefully making his way past the robots around the room, Nolan came over to the teacher. He had a sack on his shoulder and out of it he took two things: a robot cat and a remote control.

“Impressive.” Crowlie praised as he examined the cat, “And I don't think I've ever had such an enthusiastic student before. Does it work?”

“I haven't tried it yet, actually.” Nolan admitted sheepishly, “Do you mind if I give it a test run?”

“Not at all.” Crowlie put the robot on the floor, “Just walk it around a little. What is it called?”

“Strawberry-2.” Nolan had designed the robot to look a lot like Kyle's cat, so it was fitting it should have almost the same name.

“Interesting.” The boy activated the controller, where he walked the cat robot easily and even made it jump onto the table. Crowlie smiled.

“I'd say you've passed. Do you still have your sheet?” Nolan took it out and handed it to the older male. There was some scribbling before Prof. Crowlie handed it back to him, “You'll get your new schedule at the end of the semester, but keep that with you just in case you need to prove you're in my Advanced Robotics class.”

“Thank you, sir!” The genius' eyes were bright as a small smile crossed his face. Quickly, he gathered up his stuff, “I promise to be your best student, sir!”

“Don't worry about it.” Crowlie smiled, “I know you'll be very good. Now go and get some breakfast.”

“Yes sir!” Nolan left the classroom, filled with more happiness than he could remember having. Before he could get far, though, he noticed a bright blue light come from Crowlie's classroom and then suddenly, Nolan heard a scream of pain.

“Professor!” The blue-haired boy went back and was just in time to see a light blue ball of electricity escape into a socket. His main focus, though, was on the slumped form of the unconscious teacher. Going over, Nolan checked for a pulse and found one, though it was weak. Deciding not to leave Crowlie alone just in case, the boy brought out his phone and called Ukyo.

“Where are you? Quickly, get the principal and bring him to the Robotics Lab. Tell him it's an emergency!” The boy cut the call before Ukyo could ask more. He had an inkling of what had happened, and it certainly wasn't an accident. Nolan could only think of one thing doing this, and that was XANA. Somehow, the AI had brought an attack to the Real World, which meant that he and the others had to do something before things got worse.

* * *

At the mention of 'emergency,' Makoto had asked Rennoshin, Wakasa, and Heartmann to come as well (seeing as they were the most knowledgeable in healing at the school, short of the hospital itself), which was a good thing. After Wakasa and Rennoshin had looked Crowlie over and sufficed that he had gotten a bad shock (worse than Nolan's), Heartmann took the blue-haired man into his arms and the three went to the Nurse's Office/Infirmary, leaving Makoto and the two boys behind.

“Luckily it wasn't as bad as it could have been.” Makoto mused before he turned to Ukyo and Nolan, “He was also lucky you both were here. What happened?” Ukyo was about to correct him that he hadn't been there at all when Nolan stepped in.

“I honestly don't know, sir.” Nolan admitted, “I had just shown him my robot to get into his Advanced Robotics class. He signed my paper and I left, but then he screamed in pain and I came back and found him like that. Ukyo had been waiting for me outside the room.”

“I see.” Makoto looked troubled, “Crowlie was shocked, but he knows better than anyone else here how to handle electricity.”

“Maybe it was an accident.” Ukyo suggested, going along with Nolan's story for now, “Even someone as good as Prof. Crowlie can get badly shocked sometimes, too.”

“Yes, but it's not often.” Makoto took a cellphone from his pocket, “I'm going to call an electrical engineer to examine the cables of the Robotics Lab. Until it's safe, no one is allowed near here. Understood?”

“Yes sir.” The boys nodded in unison and followed their superior to another level of the Science Building before going their own way. When they did, they met up with Kyle and Haruka.

“What happened?” asked the purple-lover.

“XANA.” Nolan said, “I'm sure of it. Somehow he got an attack here into the Real World and shocked Prof. Crowlie.”

“Do you think he's going to do worse than that?” Haruka asked.

“Oh yeah.” Ukyo nodded, “He shocked Nolan pretty bad just a few days ago.” the redhead turned to his friend, “By the way, why didn't you let me speak?”

“If Makoto had known I was there alone, being the new kid, he might not have believed me.” Nolan admitted, “But right now, we need to head to the factory to make sure things don't get worse.”

“Are you sure it wasn't because he accidentally got shocked?” Kyle questioned.

“I saw a ball of electricity make it into a nearby socket when I entered the room. I'm pretty certain it's XANA's doing.” The other three shared astonished looks.

“ I think I'll stay here in case something happens.” Ukyo suggested, “Haruka, Kyle, you both go with Nolan to the factory. If we're right, then hopefully Kayla can end this before things get worse.”

“Stay safe.” Haruka cautioned before leaving with the other two. Ukyo waved goodbye before he found himself alone in the hallway. He knew he couldn't let anyone get hurt, so he would have to follow XANA and try to stop the virus as best he could.

“Ukyo?” The redhead turned to see another student, older than him, with red clothes and long red hair. He had a sleeveless shirt, showing off the dragon tattoo on his shoulder.

“Hey, Goemon.” Ukyo greeted the other, who was his older brother and a boarder at the school, “What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in a while.”

“Yeah, well, I was trying to get myself a job in town.” Goemon walked up to his brother and looked past him, “I see you've made some new friends.”

“'Mon, you've known Kyle since forever and you met Haruka before.”

“Then who's the other guy?”

“He's new, his name's Nolan and we're friends now.” Ukyo backed up slightly, “Anyway, I've got to head out. There's something I need to do.”

“Like what?” Goemon tilted his head to the side and Ukyo froze when he saw a ball of electricity come out of a nearby socket. XANA had found them.

“No time to explain!” Ukyo grabbed his brother's wrist and tugged him along, “Run!” Goemon was about to question the change in his brother's behavior until he looked back and saw the electric ball chasing them. He went along with Ukyo as the two ran through the Science Building.

* * *

It didn't take long for Haruka, Kyle, and Nolan to get to the factory. As they went down the elevator, Nolan explained.

“All you two have to do is escort Kayla to the tower, where she'll deactivate it, and then I'll rewind everything with RTTP. You can't let Kayla get devirtualized, otherwise she'll die and it's all over.” The doors opened to the Lab and Nolan stepped out, “Good luck.”

“You too.” Kyle said as the doors closed on them and brought them down to the Scanner Room. Kyle stepped into one with nervousness, but Haruka seemed to be unafraid.

“How can you be so calm?” he asked her as Nolan started up the program.

“I'm not.” she gave a smile though her face was frowning, “But we need to do this so Crowlie, Ukyo, and everyone else will be okay.”

“...Yeah, I guess you're right.” he returned her smile before the doors closed on them.

“Scanner, Kyle. Scanner, Haruka. Transfer, Kyle. Transfer, Haruka. Virtualization!” The two landed on purple-colored ground and on their feet, Haruka being luckier than the two boys on their first try. She was wearing a green-colored ninja outfit with a black scarf, but instead of wielding katanas or claws, chains wrapped around her arms up into her shirt and dropped off near her hands, showing scythes. She held them in her hands and ran a thumb across the blades, seeing that they were very sharp. She was startled out of her examination when red pulses thudded through the area, nearly shaking the two off balance.

“What the heck was that?!” asked Kyle, his tail swishing from side-to-side with anxiety.

“I don't know.” Nolan spoke from nowhere, scaring the two slightly, “I can't open a com channel to Kayla, but I've got her on the map. She's southeast of you but there are monsters around her! Go save her!”

“On it!” Kyle took out his pocketwatch and opened it. The arms on its face stiffened, then began swirling until they stopped in a certain direction. They had also discovered his watch could be used as a compass, which helped when they didn't know where to go, “This way!” He began leading Haruka in the right direction, across thin pathways and through large mountains, soon switching to all-fours to run better. Haruka was able to keep up, surprisingly, and soon they came across Kayla. She was cowering behind a rock while giant cockroaches fired at the rocks around her. Kyle aimed and shot at the roaches, but missed. He got their attention, however, and then they began firing at the warriors. Kyle dodged but Haruka wasn't fast enough, so she brought up the scythes to block the attacks, as Ukyo had described he had done. To her surprise the scythes split apart to be on each side of the chain and stretched between the two parts of each scythe was a fan, which she used to block the lasers.

“I can see them on the screen now. There's three of them and they have 25 LP each. I'm not sure how much damage they can do, but be careful!”

“How did Ukyo beat the monsters from before?” asked Kyle as Haruka kept blocking the lasers.

“He said that he hit the 'eyes' of the monsters, the strange symbol they've got on them somewhere. It might be their weak spot, I suspect.”

“Right!” Kyle latches his claws into the rock and crawled to the top, where he was out of sight of the roaches, and aimed carefully before firing. He defeated all three and joined Haruka in making sure Kayla was okay.

“Thank you!” Kayla gave them a large smile, but then it dropped as she continued, “We need to keep moving. I've been following the pulsations and they seem to lead to a tower over there.” She pointed to a platform in the distance, where they could see a glowing red tower, “I think the red color means it's been activated by XANA, so we need to get there to stop him.”

“We'll protect you.” Haruka bowed, “I'm Haruka, by the way. You must be Kayla.”

“That's right, and thank you.” The elf girl led the way as they ran to the tower before they found themselves in front of a series of rotating, floating platforms. Haruka studied the pattern before grabbing the other two by their hands.

“Hang on!” she shouted before jumping with them in tow to the next platform. They screamed until they managed to land on their feet on the next one, then did the same to the other. They were one rotating platform away from the tower when Nolan spoke up.

“Trio of bugs arriving to your right!” he warned. They looked to see the bugs Ukyo had encountered flying right at them.

“Go ahead Kayla!” Kyle and Haruka got ready to fight, “We'll handle this!” Kayla gave a nervous nod and jumped to the next platform as the bugs came closer. They turned to aim for Kayla, but the warriors weren't about to have any of that. Haruka had an idea and began swinging one of the chains around, building up speed before swinging it at one of the bugs. The chain sped across her arm as it shot out to hit the bug in the side, managing to destroy it in one hit. The chain then began falling but Haruka jerked it upward like a whip, hitting a second bug and destroying it as well.

“Good job!” Kyle praised, impressed at her handling of her powers. The praise had distracted them, however, and the third managed to let off a laser that hit Haruka in the stomach. It was a strong hit, not enough to devirtualize her, but strong enough to knock her off the platform. Fear entered the hearts of Nolan and Kyle, who didn't think there was anything they could do now. Kyle had tried to grab the flying chain but had missed as Haruka went over the edge.

“HARUKA!” he yelled in fear, but the girl wasn't done yet. She used her other chain and embedded it into the bottom of the platform, using it as a swing to fly back into the air and land back on the platform. Once she was back on her feet she destroyed the last bug with ease.

“How's that for someone who's never fought before?” Haruka smiled while Kyle had a shocked look on his face, jaw-drop and all.

“...Well, Kayla has just deactivated the tower!” Nolan got over his own shock quickly, “I'm going to activate the RTTP now, so whatever happens, hold on tight! Return to the Past now!” A ball of light welled up inside the tower and came out through the top, enveloping everything, from the computer to the factory to the school to the whole world.

* * *

It was that morning now, and Ukyo, Kyle, and Haruka found themselves standing beside the vending machine, as they had when Nolan had called Ukyo before about Crowlie.

“What the-?!” Ukyo looked around for his brother.

“Easy.” Haruka rested a hand on his arm, “I think everything's okay now.”

“Yeah.” Kyle nodded, checking his watch, “It's 7:20 now, right about the time Nolan turned in his project. And speaking of him, he never went to Lyoko, so he might not remember what happened.”

“Yeah, the files said the RTTP didn't affect anyone who hasn't been to Lyoko.” Ukyo agreed, “But I'm going off to find Goemon, make sure he's okay.”

“What happened?” asked Haruka before he could leave.

“XANA chased us through the Science Building and cornered us on the rooftop before RTTP saved us from getting shocked to death.”

“And you know what this means, don't you?” Kyle said, “XANA's going to be out to get us. He won't stop until he gets whatever he wants, which seems to be killing humans right now.”

“Yeah, you're right.” Haruka nodded in agreement, “We've all been to Lyoko and Nolan's going to have control of the supercomputer as we try to save Kayla. The four of us are going to be targets and we can't tell this to anyone because they won't believe us.”

“At least we know what we're doing for the rest of the school year.” Ukyo backed away and gave them a small wave, “See you!” They waved back as he ran to the Science Building, passing Nolan on the way. The Blue-haired boy gave him a confused look before going to join Haruka and Kyle. Tucked under his arm was the box that held him the robot that won him a place in Prof. Crowlie's Advanced Robotics class.

“I'm in!” he said excitedly, “I'll get to be in Crowlie's class next semester!”

“Well, calm down for a second so we can tell you something.” Haruka glanced around to see the Nosy Trio now close-by, “In private, please.” They headed to Nolan's room and booted up his computer, where they greeted Kayla and told him of what happened.

“I see.” Nolan leaned back in his chair, “You're right, if I go to Lyoko I'll get immunity to this and I won't be so confused next time.”

“We were lucky this happened after we all met, otherwise I don't think you'd trust us when we told you.” Kyle confessed.

“We might also want to train here, with me.” Kayla added, “If you are all to fight XANA and protect me, then I'd think it would be a good idea if you got some training in.”

“Not to mention you have to teach us about the supercomputer so we can operate it.” Haruka added, looking at Nolan.

“There's a lot of things we need to do before we fight XANA again.” They all looked up to see Ukyo come in, closing the door behind him, “Goemon and I were nearly killed because of XANA's attack. We need to find various ways to prepare if we don't want someone dying. I'll make a list that we can go over and figure out what's most important.”

“Right.” Haruka said, “We need to have safety measures in place here in the Real World for when XANA attacks, just in case.”

“So, our secret schedule is: 1, Find a way to bring Kayla to the Real World.” Kyle began listing things off on his fingers, “2, We need to put measure in place here in the Real World so no one gets killed before the RTTP activates. 3, We need to train for XANA's next attack and possibly make a list of all his monsters while we're at it. 4, Haruka, Ukyo, and I need to learn to work the supercomputer just in case and in turn, Nolan needs to start going to Lyoko with us. That's a lot of stuff we need to do in a single year.”

“Yes, well, we do still have time.” Nolan gave a small smile, “We cannot use the RTTP for our own purposes but we do have several school years ahead of us. If we work hard enough, I think we can do it.” he held out a hand, as if to initiate one of those things sports groups do just before they get ready to play. The others smiled and put their own hands on top of his while Kayla put her's against the computer screen.

“Sure we can.” Ukyo said.

“And we'll defeat XANA, saving the world from him.” Haruka said.

“Together.” Kayla added.

“As friends.” Kyle said. Then, with a cheer, they threw their hands up into the air and they all that was the start to a new adventure for them all.


End file.
